COMPOSER SHOWCASE

Robert Lemay: Biography

Robert Lemay has composed many works and received numerous international awards. Among recent honors include the second prize from the International Competition Prize Luxembourg 2007 and the second prize from the Kazimierz Serocki 10th International Composers’ Competition 2006. Other international prizes include the first prize from the 2004 Harelbeke Muziekstad Wind Ensemble Competition in Belgium. The first prize was given by the city of Harelbeke with 10,000 Euro for his piece, Ramallah for saxophone alto and wind ensemble. In addition, Lemay received three prizes from the CAPAC (presently SOCAN).

His music draws its inspiration primarily from poetry, literature, cinema, visual arts, political or social events and includes two series of tributes; one to filmmakers and another to abstract painters.

Lemay has been performed in Canada, the United States, Asia (Japan and Thailand), Europe (France, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Poland and Scotland), South America (Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela), Israel, Mexico (XXXII Foro Internacional de Música Nueva Manuel Enríquez), Australia (2010 ISCM World New Music Days) and Belgium (2012 ISCM World New Music Days) . Many of his pieces have been broadcast on Société Radio-Canada, CBC, Bavarian State Radio, European Broadcasting Union (Luxembourg), Polish National Radio, Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) in Autria and ABC Classic FM (Australia). Twenty of his pieces appear on 18 different CDs in Canada, Europe and USA.

Lemay holds a doctorate degree in composition from the Université de Montréal where he studied under Michel Longtin, and a master’s degree from Université Laval with François Morel. He also studied at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and has worked with David Felder and taken part in seminars with Brian Ferneyhough, Louis Andriessen, and Donald Erb. In France, he worked with François Rossé in Bordeaux and Georges Apergis at the ATEM in Paris.

Presently, Robert Lemay teaches at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada